1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a satellite receiver system, and in particular, to finding the peak alignment for an antenna being used in a multi-satellite direct broadcast system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Satellite broadcasting of communications signals has become commonplace. Satellite antenna pattern of commercial signals for use in television programming currently utilizes multiple feedhorns on a single Outdoor Unit (ODU) which supply signals to up to eight Integrated Receiver/Decoders (IRDs) on separate cables from a multiswitch.
Typically, an antenna is pointed toward the southern sky, and roughly aligned with the satellite downlink beam, and then fine-tuned using a power meter or other alignment tools. The precision of such an alignment is usually not critical. However, additional satellites that operate at higher downlink frequencies are now deployed that require more exacting alignment methods, and, without exacting alignment of the antenna dish, the signals from the additional satellites will not be properly received, rendering these signals useless for data and video transmission. It can be seen, then, that there is a need in the art for an alignment method for a satellite broadcast system that can be expanded to include new satellites and new transmission frequencies.